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Pinedale Online > News > June 2011 > Uncovering history

Brand wall. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
Brand wall
Workers uncovered a wall of brands underneath the log siding on the Cowboy Bar in Pinedale.

Brands. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
Brands
Close-up of some of the brands.
Uncovering history
Old brands found on exterior walls of the Cowboy Bar in Pinedale
by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online!
June 15, 2011

Construction workers made an interesting discovery on Wednesday, June 14th, while working on the exterior of the Cowboy Bar in Pinedale. When removing the wood half-logs, they found another hidden wall underneath that was covered from floor to ceiling with old brands. The brands are painted on square panels on old metal siding made to look like a stone building. Some of the brand squares have penciled in writing with names and some dates which appear to be from the 1940s and 1950s.

Many of the brands are still held by local families today. It is uncertain who many of the brands belonged to, or when the siding was originally put up and ultimately covered over.

Courtney Davis said his daughter hoped to have the renovation work done in time for Rendezvous Days in July, however the discovery of the historic brand walls has delayed that process as they decide how to proceed.

Photos by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online! If you have any information about these brands and the history of this building, please e-mail support@pinedaleonline.com or call 307-360-7689.



Cowboy Bar in Pinedale. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
Cowboy Bar in Pinedale

Cowboy Bar. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
Cowboy Bar

Renovation. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
Renovation
Workers with K Cross Construction in Pinedale first discovered the brand wall underneath the log siding.

Front of the Cowboy Bar. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
Front of the Cowboy Bar

By front door. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
By front door

Metal squares. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
Metal squares
The brands are painted like bricks onto 2'x4' metal panels are nailed to the walls on two sides of the building.

Front sign. Photo by Clint Gilchrist, Pinedale Online.
Front sign
"Cowboy Bar" is painted on the north wall, along with a cowboy on a bucking bronc.

Front Sign. Photo by Clint Gilchrist, Pinedale Online.
Front Sign
Picture taken on Wednesday, June 14. Photo by Clint Gilchrist.

Top left brands. Photo by Clint Gilchrist, Pinedale Online.
Top left brands
Brands on the left side of the sign above the awning.

Top right brands. Photo by Clint Gilchrist, Pinedale Online.
Top right brands
Brands to the right of the sign above the front awning.

AA brand. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
AA brand
Some of the squares have pencil writing on them with names of people, dates, and towns. The dates shown appear to range from 1947 to 1952, but it is not certain those dates are when the writing was done.

1948. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
1948
Dates found ranged from 1947 to 1952. It is uncertain if those were the dates when the writing was done on the wall.

Jeanne Snyder. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
Jeanne Snyder
Green River, Wyoming

Writing. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
Writing
Not sure if this is 1934, Box 934 in Holden, Utah for ? Johnson.

Money brand. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
Money brand
It is a mystery right now who this brand belonged to and what to call it "money brand?", "dollar brand?", "dollar sign brand?"

Side before. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
Side before
On Wednesday, it was uncertain if brands would be found under the siding on the east wall as well. Once the boards were removed, more brands were found.

Side. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
Side
The brands continue under the log siding on the east wall of the building and extend up about 15 feet high.

More brands. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
More brands
More brands were found along the side of the building. Clint Gilchrist, President of the Sublette County Historical Society, takes close-up photos of each brand on Wednesday.

East wall. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
East wall
At one time, the entry to the bar was at a diagonal on the northeast corner. Courtney Davis squared up the corner after he bought the bar in 1970, allowing him to move the entrance and make the bar run the full length of the east wall inside. The east side used to have three large windows.

Brands on east wall. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
Brands on east wall
More brands are revealed on the east wall as the boards are taking down.

Maybell and Pine. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
Maybell and Pine
Courtney Davis said when he bought the bar in 1970, there was a tree growing where the fire hydrant is now.

Julie Bagner. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
Julie Bagner
Julie Bagner, Green River Wyoming?

Mary Lou Robertson - Pinedale. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
Mary Lou Robertson - Pinedale

Consulting. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
Consulting
Cowboy Bar owner, Courtney Davis (brown shirt, center), explains the history of the bar. Left to Right: Kate Grimes (Town of Pinedale/Mainstreet Program), Contractor Kendall Cross-K Cross Construction, Historical Architect Kurt Dubbe from Jackson, Serese Kudar-Sublette Chamber of Commerce/Mainstreet program, Clint Gilchrist-President of the Sublette County Historical Society.

Front door. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
Front door

East wall work. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
East wall work
Kendall Cross, Jake McKinney, Dean Willis and Keaton Cross with K Cross Construction work on the east wall on Thursday, June 15.

Dick Lee. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
Dick Lee
Dick Lee, of Rock Springs, stopped by on Thursday to look at the brands and told Serese Kudar he recognizes some of the names on the graffiti.

Last corner. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
Last corner
K Cross Construction workers take off the final logs covering the old brand wall on the east side on Thursday.

Removing boards. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
Removing boards
At some time, we don't know when yet, the original outside building facade was extended higher beyond the old brand wall.

Taking pictures. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
Taking pictures
The discovery has been the talk of the town for since it was found on Wednesday. Lots of people have stopped by to see the brands, read the scrawled names, and take pictures. Everyone seems to have an opinion on what to do about the brands. Some say leave it up, some say take them down. Some want them preserved in a museum. Someone said cut them up and sell them on Ebay. The owners welcome any and all ideas - stop in and share your story!

Front view. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
Front view
The original building had a flat roof, nore windows and corner door entrance.

Walter Punteney grave. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
Walter Punteney grave
The Cowboy Bar building was original built by Walt Punteney in 1931, although it had a different name and did not serve alcohol in its early years because of Prohibition. In his youth, Punteney was part of the "Wild Bunch" outlaw gang run by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Punteney was arrested for a bank robbery in South Dakota. He was 61 when he built the "Rendezvous Pool Hall" in Pinedale. He is buried in the Pinedale Cemetery.

Walt Punteney. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
Walt Punteney
His name can also be found spelled "Putney" or "Puteney" in old articles, records and references.
Pinedale Online > News > June 2011 > Uncovering history

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